A Hard Day (2014 Film)
A Hard Day (Korean: 끝까지 간다; RR: Kkeutkkaji Ganda) is a 2014 South Korean crime thriller film directed by Kim Sung-hoon. The film follows Detective Ko Gun-soo, who finds himself in a desperate situation after accidentally killing a man in a hit-and-run incident while already under investigation for corruption.
Plot
Detective Ko Gun-soo (Lee Sun-kyun) is a corrupt police officer who, while driving to his station to avoid an internal investigation, accidentally hits and kills a pedestrian. Panicked, he hides the body in the trunk of his car. As he attempts to cover up the crime, he discovers that he is being stalked by a mysterious witness who knows exactly what he has done, leading to a high-stakes game of cat-and-mouse.
Production
Filming for A Hard Day commenced on August 29, 2013, and concluded on November 30, 2013. The film was originally titled Moodumkkaji Ganda (literally "Take it to the Grave"). On April 17, 2014, the production announced a title change to Kkeutkkaji Ganda (literally "Take it to the End"). This change was reportedly made out of respect following the sinking of the South Korean ferry Sewol, which occurred on April 16, 2014.
Cast
- Lee Sun-kyun as Detective Ko Gun-soo
- Cho Jin-woong as Park Chang-min
- Jeong Man-sik as Detective Choi
- Shin Jung-keun as Detective Squad Chief
- Kim Dong-young as Detective Do
- Joo Suk-tae as Detective Nam
Reception and Awards
The film premiered at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival in the Director's Fortnight section. It received critical acclaim and numerous awards, including Best Director for Kim Sung-hoon at the 51st Baeksang Arts Awards and the 47th Daejong Film Awards. Cho Jin-woong was recognized for his performance with a Best Supporting Actor award at the 35th Blue Dragon Film Awards.